The North Augusta Chamber of Commerce welcomed the Realtors of Greater Augusta (RGA) to its new office on West Martintown Road in a ribbon cutting event, Thursday afternoon.
The RGA is a professional association representing real estate agents and brokers based in Augusta and surrounding areas, including Columbia, Aiken and Edgefield Counties. Members share membership with both the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the Georgia Association of Realtors (GAR).
Many local realtors hold licenses in both Georgia and South Carolina —the states’ respective real estate commissions have a reciprocity agreement — and often do business on both sides of the river.
This RGA’s second location, complementing its Augusta headquarters at 1214 Roy Road North Augusta once had its own realtors association (not to be confused with the North Augusta Real Estate Investors Association, currently operating out of the Hammond’s Ferry neighborhood), which closed and effectively merged with RGA roughly 15 years ago, notes CEO Stacie Adkins.
The RGA’s board started searching for properties last fall to set up shop in North Augusta, being conscientious to find a spot relatively close to downtown.
“As a board, we felt like we could service this side of the river a little better,” said Adkins about the office, which is to serve as an extension of the Augusta office, providing lockboxes, continuing education and other resources and meeting space. “We’re trying to offer those same services to agents in North Augusta just like we would in Augusta.”
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Aiken has its own association of realtors (AAOR), with offices on Silver Bluff Road, and an affiliation with the South Carolina Association of Realtors. The new Martintown Road suite, Adkins says, only represents an expansion of RGA, not a new fusing with AAOR.
This includes the multiple listing services (MLS) used by RGA remaining separate from those used by AAOR. An MLS provides a database of information on properties under listing contracts.
“No extra money, no extra dues” will be required of members of RGA to use the new North Augusta office, Adkins explained.
The Realtors of Greater Augusta North Augusta office is located at 510 West Martintown Road, in the suite directly behind the law offices of Donald H. White. For more information, visit https://greateraugustarealtors.com.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
